Eli Lilly and Co (NYSE:LLY) shares moved higher Tuesday after the company reported positive late-stage trial results for its experimental oral obesity and diabetes drug, orforglipron.
The Phase 3 study, known as ATTAIN-2, tested orforglipron in adults with obesity or overweight who also have Type 2 diabetes.
The treatment met the study’s main and secondary endpoints, helping patients lose an average of 10.5% of their body weight, or about 22.9 pounds, on the highest dose over 72 weeks.
Participants also saw significant reductions in hemoglobin A1C, a key measure of blood sugar control, with up to 75% of patients on the top dose reaching levels at or below the American Diabetes Association’s target for diabetes.
The results give Lilly the full clinical package needed to pursue global regulatory submissions for orforglipron as a once-daily oral alternative to injectable GLP-1 drugs.
If approved, the pill could broaden access to obesity and diabetes treatments, a market currently dominated by weekly injectable therapies.
The safety profile of orforglipron was generally consistent with the GLP-1 drug class, with gastrointestinal issues such as nausea, vomiting, and being the most common side effects. Rates of treatment discontinuation were similar to those seen in earlier trials.
"The ATTAIN-2 results reinforce the potential for orforglipron, as a once-daily oral, to deliver meaningful weight loss and A1C reduction, consistent with similar landmark trials for injectable GLP-1s," said Dr Kenneth Custer, Eli Lilly executive vice president and Lilly Cardiometabolic Health president.
“With these positive data in hand, we are moving with urgency toward global regulatory submissions to potentially meet the needs of patients who are waiting.”
Shares of Eli Lilly added 2.7% at $714 on Tuesday morning.